Slack adjuster



W. H. SAUV'AGE.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 6, I920.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

Patented 'l lov. 14, 19221.

" are WILLIAM H. smavaen or ripening, new YORK, es'srsnon, BY MESNEassren MENTS, To GoU nooUPLEn COMPANY, or NEW YO K, n. Y.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

a licatio filed" February 6, 1920; Serial No. ea- ,7545 I V To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that 1,- WILLLQL H. SAIDAGIG;

a citizen of the-United States, residing at Flushing, Long Island, inthe county of Queens and State of New. York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Slack Ad usters, of whichthe following 1s aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in slack adjusters and moreparticularly to that type of slack adjusters adapted to be applied tothe trucks: of railway vehicles,

although it isof course tobe understood that without material mocli licationcertain features thereof are applicable -to other types of brakerigging.

()ne of the objects 01"". the present invention is to provide a simpleand practical slack adjuster which may be inexpensivelymanufacturedandassembled.

'A further object .is to: provide an i-m proved slack adjuster whichwilldoe reliable and efficient in use: and operation and not- Figure 1shows inelevation such parts 0?]? .35 the brake rigging and truck as arenec essary to understand the present invention, and Y Figure 2 is an endelevational View. Referring. now to the drawings in detail: 5 denotesthe frame work oi a car truck of standard construction provided withwheels 6, brake beams 7 and hrake"'shoe's 8 adapted to coact with theperiphery of the wheelsGz. v 1 f i 5 Atone side of bolster 10 is alivelever 11 the upper end ofwhichis o inectediby pull rod-1 2 to anyconvenient source of ower. At the opposite side of the" bolster 10 is abracket 13 pivotally connected at with the truck frame and provided witha series of openings 15 to one of which is nivotally connecteditheupper" end of dead lever 16. Both; the live and jdeadlevers arepivotallymounted near their lower cenmi'part m struts 17 carried by the bralr'ebeams' 7. To thelowerend of. the live lever 11- is pivotally connectedat the point 18 a tubular member 20' with which is adapted totelescope asolid rod2l pivotally connecting at 22 to the lower end of dead lever16.- .The tubular member, 20 carries a housing 23' in which; are mounteda plurality of dfo'gs'Qd coacting with the rod .21 and normally held inbiting. engagement there withby means of a coil spring 25 urging thedogs into canted relation whereby relative inward movement of the rod 21is prevented during application of the brakes: This structure, however,permits .a relative outward movement of the rod 21 on release of thebrakes when the'parts are being restored-to normal position by reasonofthe return spring. 26" after-excess travel has taken place, duelto wearof the'par'ts. In: terposedbetween the live and dead levers is anadjusting rod 27 one end of whichQS .hasa lostmotion or slotted pivotalconnection with the live lever 11. The opposite end passes through ahousing 30 supported in any convenient mannerljtrom tlieiystrut 17' orbrake beam within wh-ich'i's a I dog 31 normally held in canted positionby means of coil spring 32 surrounding the rod 27, whereby movement ofthis rod toward the right is prevented during application of the brakes.r

These dogs it' will b'enun'derstood are merely rectangular orother'su-it ably shaped pieces of metalhaving openings withcasehardenededges throughwhich the rodsare adapted to pass, whereby a movement ofthe rods in one direction is positively lprevented' due to the bitingengagement with the: edges of the opening, which nevertheless willpermit therods to nove relatively in the opposite direction whennecessary to take up the. slack. j j f The operation of this device issubstantially as f lioves;

" (3n appl cation of the brakes; the upper cndlof the live" lever movesrelatively towards the left and travels freely to the j..

limit of the slot 28. If; however, due to wear of the. brake -sho' e s,excess travel occurs exceeding that provided f rty the slot 28, thentlie adji-1Sting rod 2T, is'moved. relatively outwardly or towards the.left with respect to thehous'in g O, the rod bein free to slip throughuiedag 31 in that direction,

At uie sameeme; the of We s 11 moves towards the right and push rod 20and 2 1, reacting with this movement, carries the lower end of the deadlever 16 towards the right. Thus the brake shoes 8 are brought intoengagement with the periphery of the wheels 6.

On release of the brakes the return spring 26 tends to bring the livelever back to full release position against the bolster 10, as shown inFigure 1. Thebrake shoes first drop back to clearance position, aspermitted by reason of the slot 28 after which. this point acts as afulcrum, being held against further movement by the dog 31, and causes arelative separation of the points 18 and 22, by causing an extension ofthe rods 20 and 21, an action that is made possible by the position andrelation of the holding dog. 2st which permit movement of rod 21relatively outward or toward the right with respect to housing 23, butprevent movement of the rod in the opposite direction. In this mannerthe push rod 21 is extended an amount exactly corresponding to the excess travel of the brake rigging.

The parts are all of practical mechanical construction and there islittle or no danger of any slipping of the telescopic parts or freezingor amming of the parts into fixed relation whereby a proper operation ofthe brakes is prevented;

It is thus seen that the invention provides a reliable and eflicientslack adjuster mechanism particularly adapted for use on railway vehicletrucks and accomplishes among others all of the objects and advantagesherein set forth. I

Considerable variation of the details as described herein may beresorted to without departure from the spirit f the invention which isto be construed in the light of the follo Wing claims:

1. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, live and dead levers,a source of power connected with the live lever, a telescopic push rodconnecting the live and dead levers, an adjusting rod connecting thelive and dead levers, said telescopic rod comprising two parts capableof telescopic movement, a housing means connecting said parts in slidingrelation, holding means within said housing whereby said parts are heldpositively against movement to ashorter $ffective length, said adjustingrod slidably mounted. at both ends and provided with a housing andholding means at one end whereby the rod is positively held againstmovement in one direction.

2. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, live and dead levers,a source of power connected with the live lever, a -tele scopic push rodconnecting the live and dead levers, an adjusting rod connecting thelive and dead levers, positively connecting holding means associatedwith both rods, said means comprising housings, dogs in the housings andmeans normally holding the dogs in canted relation, whereby the rods arefree to move to a greater effective length but are, positively heldagainst movement in the opposite direction.

3. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, live and dead levers,a two part tele scopic push rod connecting the lower ends of saidlevers, an adjusting rod connecting said levers and lying substantiallyparallel to the push rod, said rods each extending through a housing,dogs within the housings engaging the rods, and "means holding said dogsin biting relation therewith whereby one rod is free to move relativelyin one direction and the other rod free to move relatively in the sameeffective direction only, and whereby, upon application of the brakes,one rod is held positively against sliding movement and, upon release ofthe brakes, the other rod is held positively against a sliding movement.

4-. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, live and dead leversat opposite sides thereof carrying brake shoes adapted to coact with thewheels, a two part telescopio push rod connecting the lower ends of thelive and dead levers, positive take up and holding means connecting saidparts and holding them against relative sliding movement in onedirection only, an adjusting rod connecting the live and dead leversslidably engaged at both ends, the engaging means at one end, includinga housing with a holding dog therein associated with urging meanswhereby the adjusting rod free to slide to a greaterefi'ective lengthonly, upon application of the brakes, and is positively held againstsliding movement at that end upon release of the brakes.

5. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, live and dead leversat opposite sides thereof carrying brake shoes adapted to coact with thewheels, a two part telescopio push rod connecting the lower ends of thelive and dead levers, positive take up and holding means connecting saidparts permitting free movement in one direction only, upon release ofthe brakes an adjusting rod connecting the live and dead levers, be-

ing loosely connected to one lever and slidably connected-to the otherlever by a hous ing with a holding dog therein adapted to permit freemovement of the adjusting rod inthe one direction on and means forrestoring said parts to normal position after application of the brakesto take up the slack. a a

6. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in. combination, a truck frame, liveand dead levers at opposite sides thereof having brake shoes adapted tocoact with the wheels, a two part telescopic push rod having positivelyconnecting dogs co-acting with the et fective ends of said twoparts-whereby rela tive free movement is permitted in one direction andprevented in the opposite direction, an adjusting rod having a lostmotion, pivotal connection with one lever and a housing carried by theother lever supporting the opposite end of said adjusting rod, a dogwithin said housing urged into biting engagement with the rod andadapted topermit a free movement thereof in a like effective directionto the free movement of the push rod, and to prevent movement in theother direction.

7. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, a truck frame, liveand dead levers at the opposite sides thereof, brake beams and shoes'pivotally connected with the levers near their central parts, a twopart telesoopic push rod connecting the lower ends of said levers,positive holding means con-- necting the effective ends of said twoparts, an adjusting rod having a lost motion pivotal connection with onelever, a housing carried by the other lever in which said adjusting rodis adapted to slide, a holding dog in said housing and means urging saiddog in to biting relation with said rod whereby it is free to move inone direction and held against movement inthe opposite direction.

8. In a slack adjuster mechanism, in com bination, live and dead levers,a source of power connected With the live lever, an ad;

justing rod between said levers capable, of sliding movement at bothends upon application of the brakes and of locking action at one endupon release of the brakes, aitele scopic rod of two parts, meanspositively holding said. parts in fixed relation upon application of thebrakes and permitting a sliding movement of the parts upon release ofthe brakes, a housing on each of said rods and locking dogs thereinadapted to lock and release said rods in relatively alternate relation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE.

Witnesses:

DONALD C. Dunes, ALFRED E. OTT.

